£800,000 for greener air conditioning

The Government is giving £400,000 to a consortium to develop greener forms of air-conditioning for planes, high-speed and underground trains, and buildings.

The cash, matched by the consortium, will develop aircraft-style 'air cycle' air-conditioning systems in buildings, which would be significantly more efficient.The project also aims to make the aircraft systems more efficient. A 10% reduction in fuel burn over the 25-year aircraft life could reduce CO2 emissions by 14.4 Mega tonnes.The two-year project, NECST, will develop this technology. Science and Innovation Minister Malcolm Wicks said, 'Developing this potentially ground-breaking technology could be great news for the environment with huge potential to help cut carbon emissions in this area.'Air-conditioning systems in aircraft consume an estimated 4% of total fuel burnt and cooling systems in buildings and trains are big consumers of energy,' he said.The Government's money is matched by cash from the consortium, comprising Honeywell Aerospace, BRE, Goodrich, GKN Aerospace, the University of Manchester and Airbus UK.

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